The Sacred Overlap

'At the very center of our faith is constellation of unfathomable mysteries: Good pastors don't duck or dumb down the mysteries; they don't reduce Christianity to the merely 'practical.' No, they embrace gospel mystery, honor it, and serve as tour guides through its limitless terrain. J.R. Briggs is one of those guides, and The Sacred Overlap is one of those books--challenging, comforting, and inviting in equal measure. Read it and be changed.' * Andrew Arndt, pastor of New Life East, Colorado Springs, and author of All Flame: Entering the Life of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit *
'Filled with surprising metaphors, thoughtful synthesis, and compassionate challenges, The Sacred Overlap exposes the dead end of either/or mindsets and invites us all to join Jesus in living in the beautiful tension of the both/and. J.R. draws from a deep theological well but writes in language accessible enough for everyone to read. J.R. offers several practices to embody the invitations to live into the overlap. Read this book for yourself and then read it with others who seek to be kingdom people faithfully living Jesus' call to unity in a world filled with divisions.' * Cyd Holsclaw, pastor of discipleship at Vineyard North, coach, spiritual director, and coauthor of Does God Really Like Me? *
'How is it possible that a book specifically designed to acknowledge the tension-filled space of our faith could bring such a sense of affirmation and peace to the struggle we live in every day? J.R.'s work here is a true gift to those of us who have been trying to put our finger on exactly what the kingdom is. He gives language to something that is often so hard to define that we shake it off as untrue. He says, 'No, look again. That is real.'' * Marty Solomon, creator of the BEMA Podcast *
'If vibrant, transformative faith is going to thrive in our highly polarized and combative time, it will require robust and nuanced voices. J.R. Briggs is such a voice. His book The Sacred Overlap comes just in time to show us a better way. J.R. invites us into a deeper faith that holds tension, looks for the both/and, keeps balance. This book represents significant research and thought and in it. J.R. offers us a way of thinking and a set of practices that keep our faith fresh and nimble.' * Steve Cuss, pastor and author of Managing Leadership Anxiety *
'If we have any hope of discipling the next generation in the way of Jesus, it's vital we release our fear of mystery and make a home in the sacred overlap. J.R. Briggs writes with thoughtful discernment about how the nuance and complexity of life can find resolution in the peace of Christ, even when we don't have all the answers. I am deeply grateful for this book.' * Emily P. Freeman, Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Next Right Thing *
'In a day where the world, our culture, and the church are marked by a continual default to division and defensiveness, J.R. Briggs offers us a vision of an interconnected, integrated, and incarnated way of being in the world. In the engaging and entertaining 'both/and' character of this book, Briggs helps us to see God and reality in ways that are both deeply inspiring and profoundly uncomfortable, completely biblical and distressingly disruptive, breathtakingly spiritual and shockingly down-to-earth. This book should be read by all those who want to be formed into someone who can personally participate in crossing divides and working for a genuinely restorative common good--and are willing to have their assumptions challenged every step of the way.' * Tod Bolsinger, author of Canoeing the Mountains and Tempered Resilience *
'In a time when our world, the culture, and the church are polarized like never before, J.R. helps us to explore 'Jesus in the both/and.' Not a middle-of-the-road faith that lacks conviction, but a bold, fresh way of seeing the brilliance of Jesus displayed in the tension of the opposites. Steeped in Scripture, classic thinkers, and storyful metaphors, The Sacred Overlap is a much-needed perspective and spiritual life reboot.' * Paul Baloche, songwriter and pastor, LeadWorship.com *
'In the early days, it was a core Christian capacity to live in tension--in but not of the world. With agility, J.R. Briggs teaches those first-century Eastern Christian skills to twenty-first-century Western Christians. As we are stretched to hold these seemingly incompatible truths in our small minds and bodies, we, as individuals and a movement, may be transformed!' * Mandy Smith, pastor and author of The Vulnerable Pastor *
'In The Sacred Overlap, J.R. explores some of the most complex aspects of discipleship by integrating the idea of paradox at the heart of theological truth, experiencing the world through a both/and frame, seeing the sacred in ordinary things. This is not just well-written book, it is also a very convincing one.' * Alan Hirsch, award-winning author and founder of Forge Missional Training Network, Movement Leaders Collective, and The 5Q Collective *
'Integration. That one word sums this phenomenal work. J.R. refuses to settle for a narrow spirituality. But don't be fooled--because he doesn't advocate the current clichand eacute;, syncretistic, abstract heterodoxy either. Instead, he faithfully expands our pursuit of the kingdom--the both/and reign of God. I highly recommend this creative and historically grounded work.' * AJ Sherrill, lead pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church and author of The Enneagram for Spiritual Formation *
'J.R. has won back an important piece of ecclesial history for the church. This writing should be a foundational understanding for any leader desiring to be more effective on the frontlines of the gospel.' * Verlon Fosner, pastor, author, and director of Dinner Church Collective *
'Jesus knew that metaphors, stories, symbols, and even language itself guide and shape how we think and act. Thus, he deployed vivid stories, metaphors, and demanding truths about himself and the world set in fascinating, paradoxical tension. This place of yes-and-no, both/and, and already/not yet is where Spirit-attuned Christians have lived--and at all times have been tempted to escape. In this book, J.R. Briggs returns our focus to that kingdom tension, this sacred overlap, recovering, retracing, and rediscovering anew ancient paths that remain freshly true for us today.' * Laura M. Fabrycky, author of Keys to Bonhoeffer’s Haus: Exploring the World and Wisdom of Dietrich Bonhoeffer *
'Justice or grace? Belief or practice? Sinners or saints? Our world seeks compartmentalization. J.R. Briggs looks for common spaces in these paradoxes, and in Jesus, who embodies the sacred overlap in his incarnation. Following this example, the place of tension is where peculiar practices can enable authentic faith to thrive.' * Dr. Michael Hammond, provost/EVP, Taylor University *
'Life is messy, but then, you already know that. Simple black-and-white categories of thought are elusive in the cut and thrust of real life. The Sacred Overlap is a timely reminder that even in the gray, there is hope. As St. Augustine might say, take and read.' * Frank A. James III, president of Missio Seminary, Philadelphia *
'One of J.R.'s great gifts is his ability to ask unique questions in ways that help us all live more fully into kingdom realities. The Sacred Overlap is another such example. In a deeply divided world of either/or thinking, J.R. helps to chart a course that not only embraces the tensions of life but allows us to see that this is actually a better way. There is rich wisdom for those who desire to live the 'in between' faithfully.' * Adam L. Gustine, Center for Social Concerns at the University of Notre Dame and author of Becoming a Just Church *
'Our world insists we pick sides, but Jesus insists we hold paradoxes and balance tensions. Instead of picking sides, The Sacred Overlap invites readers to pick the way of Jesus.' * Chris Horst, chief advancement officer at HOPE International *
'Over the four centuries of the modern age, the fragmentation of either/or thinking has done much violence to humanity, to creation, and to our very souls. J.R. Briggs, in The Sacred Overlap, challenges us to stop this violence. Briggs offers a profound vision of healing these deep wounds by recognizing the many ways we exist as both/and creatures, and by inviting us to allow our minds to be transformed.' * C. Christopher Smith, founding editor of The Englewood Review of Books and author of How the Body of Christ Talks and Slow Church *
'The reality of God will always be greater than our knowledge of God. The inclusivity of Jesus and the narrowness of Jesus both stretch us. Somewhere at the center of it all, the living truth of God is revealed to us in Jesus. J.R. Briggs is a wise guide for us here, helping us find the gift that the both/and kingdom of God in Christ is to us.' * Alan Fadling, president of Unhurried Living, Inc and author of An Unhurried Life *
'The Sacred Overlap calls us out of a formulaic faith lacking fruit and vibrancy, and calls us to the experience and practice of a faith that is rooted in truth, intriguingly mysterious, authentically joyful, and abundantly practical. J.R.'s words will be humbly inviting and challenging for believer and seeker alike as he reintroduces the person of Jesus and the life of his followers.' * The Rev. Canon Dr. Dan Alger, Canon for Church Planting, Anglican Church in North America *
'The Sacred Overlap is a winsome push beyond the either/or to the both/and, a disturbing nudge that moves us beyond the tribal, an inspiring prod to the way of God at work in the world in Jesus Christ. I hope you'll read this book, written so well by an engaged mind, and let it challenge your imagination to become the kind of Christian our world is so desperate for.' * Dr. David Fitch, BR Lindner Chair of Evangelical Theology at Northern Seminary and author of Faithful Presence *
'The world and the church are fragmented by either/or extremes. The best leaders I know are border-stalkers who live on the edges, move in and out, and bring reconciliation across the divides. J.R. Briggs is one of those people, and he has given us a manifesto for those leaders who brave the spaces between what is and what can be.' * Rev. Dr. Michael Beck, author, pastor, and director of re-missioning, Fresh Expressions US *
'This is a book I wish I could have written. The invitation to paradoxical mystery in the Christian life is not only something we desperately need to hear about, we couldn't hear it from a better teacher. Briggs has crafted something beautiful here worthy of our attention. Here's to entering the glorious mystery.' * Dr. A.J. Swoboda, assistant professor of Bible and theology at Bushnell University and author of After Doubt *
'We live in a chaotic world where life is often messy, if not paradoxical. Such paradoxes saturate the Scriptures. In The Sacred Overlap, J.R. Briggs helps us to learn to live and thrive in the tension of the paradoxes of the Christian faith.' * Winfield Bevins, director of church planting at Asbury Theological Seminary, author of Ever Ancient, Ever New *
'We need wise guides to help us discern how best to honor God in our attempt to experience true life. In The Sacred Overlap, J.R. Briggs proves he is one of those guides.' * Rev. Jon Cavanagh, campus pastor, Taylor University *